Electroplating reel



May 3o, 1944. BURR 2,349,946

ELECTROPLATING REEL Filed Sept. l5, 1938 :Jn/venten Patented May 30, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT ELECTROPLATIN G REEL Friedrich Drr, Berlin-Friedenau, Germany; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application September 15, 1938, Serial No. 230,090 In Germany September 15, 1937 2 Claims.

It is common practice to protect metals, especially light metals such as aluminum and magnesium, from the influence of Weather by providing them with a layer of oxide. Repeated attempts have been made to treat line or thin wires similarly to maintain the original silverbright color and to make it possible to use this material for laces, braids and the like. Thin wires when oxidized electrolytically are also widely employed in the electrical industries by reason of the insulating capacity of this layer of oxide.

However, up to the present, such attempts to oxidize thin wires electrolytically have failed as the galvanic -bath requires a current of certain appropriate density on one hand whereas on the other hand the wires are too thin to let the requisite current pass therethrough without their being too strongly heated.

The present invention relates to a device in the form of a reel permitting the electrolytic oxidation of such light metal wire. Essentially the wire which serveslas anode is wound upon the reel which is used also to supply the current, the wire Vbeing oxidized electrolytically upon the reel. In this way it is possible to obtain the requisite current density without the wire being overloaded lby the current.

In the accompanying drawings'I have shown diagrammatically the preferred form of my device. In the drawings Fig. 1 is a front view of a reel in which the wire is wound on in several concentric layers.

Fig. 2 is a vertical ligure taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 shows a further form of construction having several concentric spools.

In the drawing supporting members are illustrated rendering it possible to wind several layers over one another thus obtaining particularly eiective use of the capacity of the electrolytic bath. In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a central axle IS is arranged between the end disks l1 and I8. These are preferably provided with conical concentric bores 20 into which the `reel bars 2 I, having correspondingly shaped end portions, are inserted. `After the innermost concentric layer or series of bars has been wrapped with wire l which is to be treated, the next concentric row oi bars is tted in the supported end disks vand wrapped with the wire as shown at 22 in Fig. 2, but in opposite direction to the inner row. 'Ihis procedure is repeated as often as there are concentric rows of bars on the disks. As the distance between the individual rows can vbe small, it is possible to place an unusually large amount of wire on a spool of light weight and occupying little space.

As shown in Fig. 3, there are two disks 23 and 24 rigidly connected to one another by bars 25 equivalent to the central axle I9 o1 Fig. 1.

'I 'he rows of bars 26, 21 and 28 which are outside and concentric to the -bars 25 are supported in concentrically arranged cage rings 29, 30 and 3|. These rings are conically enlarged or tapered on their inner sides and fit correspondingly shaped portions of the disk 24.

The opposite ends of bars 26, 21 and 28 are held in concentric rings 32, 33 and 34 respectively. The bars 26, 21 and 28 have such relative lengths that the rings 32, 33 and 34 are superposed over the disk 23 when the rings 29, 30 and 3| are fitted on the periphery of the opposite disk 24.

In use, wire is .wound either manually or by means of a coiling machine on the innermost series of rods 25 and thereafter the cage formed by the rods 26 and end rings 29 and 32 is slipped into position on the disks 23 and 24 after which the wire is wrapped upon the bars 26.

Each series of bars 21 and 28 is then slipped into place and wrapped with the wire. If preferred, each individual concentric spool of rods can be separately wrapped with the wire and the ends knotted together when the spools are tted on the end disks. The reel carrying the wire is then inserted into the electrolytic bath and the wire treated. With this device the electrolytic coating is applied to the wire on the individual concentric spools. The conductive path between the wire and the nearest conducting bar and end disk is relatively short preventing excess current flow in the Wire.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the type and for the purpose described, a reel comprising a iirst and a second disc-like end member having a common axis, said discs each provided with an outwardly extending axle portion, a rst set of rods arranged about said axis and connecting said end members to each other, said rst end member having a cylindrical circumference, said second end member having a stepped periphery providing a series of seats, a plurality of coaxial cagelike members each including a first and a second ring end and having a plurality of rods connecting said rings, the first rings of said cagelike members adapted to nest into each other and the innermost rst ring iitting the circumference of said rst end member, the second.rings of said cage-like members successively nesting in the seats of said second end member whereby said cage-like members can be assembled to and disassembled from said end members by shifting in an axial direction.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which said steps of said second end member are tapered and said second'rings are provided with conical inner surfaces iittlng the tapers respectively of ,said second end member.

FRIEDRICH DRR. 

